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The Corsairs
The Corsairs are one of the eight founding teams of the Midwest Combat Chess League, and actively competing. Though they have had a rocky history, they became one of only two teams to win two championships in a row after their victories in 2012 and 2013. Team History 2007 The Corsairs inaugural season in the MCCL was a rocky one, garnering mixed reviews of mixed successes. While They finished in 7th place in the league with a record of 2-5, their 2 wins were against teams that finished higher than they themselves did. 2008 In an unfortunate attempt to "right the ship" after the previous year's missteps, Corsairs leadership tried out several novel approaches to the sport, with resoundingly dismal results. While The Culverins finished an undefeated regular season, the Corsairs became the first team in league history to fail to win a single match for the entire year, earning a season record of 0-7 (a feat the Culverins themselves would later duplicate in 2011). 2009 The Corsairs seemed prepared to rebound from their yearlong slump after the players' strike, but unfortunately the schedule left them facing some of the toughest teams in the league, losing to the Roses and the Legion in their first 2 matches (both would later go on to the championship) and the perennially powerful Dragons in their final week. Their sole victory came at the expense of the Celts, bringing their record to 1-3. 2010 Disappointed after their multiple failed attempts to reach the postseason, the 2010 season saw lackluster play from much of the team. They finished the season with another 2-5 record. 2011 Corsairs fans remember the 2011 season as the year everything changed. With a new general manager at the helm, and the help of Meredith Larson, the 2011 Rookie of the Year, the Corsairs found a successful rhythm throughout the season and made it to their first postseason with a record of 4-3. They lost in the semifinals to the then-undefeated Cavaliers. 2012 General Manager George Stock capitalized on what momentum his team had gained from the 2011 season, and approached former Valkyries king Max Savage to take the King position. Savage led the team to unprecedented success, finishing 2nd in the league with a 5-2 record. They defeated the Celts in the semifinals to advance to the championship match against The Legion, who were contending for their 3rd league title. In a match that came down to the final bout determining the victor, corsairs queen Meredith Larson defeated Legion rook Mike Bloom to checkmate the opponent's king and claim the Corsairs' first league championship victoy. 2013 The Corsair's Draft stragety for 2013 was simple, get as many of the 2012 Team back, an effort they were mostly successful at. However, a Week 1 loss to The Dragons, followed by the sudden exit of King Max Savage a day before their Week 2 match left doubt that they would be able to repeat the success of their 2012 season. Chris Marchand was selected to replace Savage as King. Marchand employed an unusual strategy shuffling what positions players were assigned from match to match. This strategy that would prove highly successful, leading the Corsairs to a regular season record of 6-1, a semifinals victory over The Cavaliers, and ultimately a repeat as League Champions with a victory over The Dragons. 2014 Riding the momentum of back to back championships, and having gotten a majority of their 2013 Championship team back, many though The Corsairs were well on their way to being the first team to three-peat as League Champions. In a shocking move the evening after the conclusion of the draft, The Corsairs released King Chris Marchand, citing "unresolvable differences" with the Front Office as the reason for his release. This lead to the 2014 Corsair Mutiny. Left with no veteran players, the 2014 Corsairs are now a completely new team built almost entirely from the Free Agency Pool. Notable Members The corsairs house some of the most talented competitors in the MCCL today, as well as host a number of notable alumni: Meredith Larson (2011-2013) Chris Marchand (2012-2013) Max Savage (2012-2013) Robert Korsmo (2012) Noah Stein (2012-2013) Rachel Bigelow (2012-2013) Kathryn Jacobs (2012-2013) Adam Scarpello (2012) Category:Teams